News to King

Pete King still contends that his son has never lobbied despite his inclusion in the state commission’s lobbying register as an “additional lobbyist” for Al D’Amato’s Park Strategies.

“I told you the other day he’s not a lobbyist, I still say he has never lobbied,” King just told me. “He had no idea he was listed. Al D’Amato had no idea that my son was listed.”

The Politicker noted earlier this week that Sean King worked for Park Strategies, which represents several companies with Homeland Security contracts. Congressman King is the Chairman for the House Homeland Security committee. Newsday subsequently noted that one of the companies with such a contract is the computer firm SAP America.

“Apparently when they attained SAP as a client they put down, they listed everyone who could potentially be involved in the dealings,” King said. “In an overabundance of caution they put his (Sean’s) name. He had no idea he was down there. He has never had any dealing with SAP, he has never lobbied.”

King said everyone involved was surprised to hear that Sean King was registered.
He called D’Amato, (“he said ‘no he is not'”) and then his son, (“He said it and I believe him and he certainly has never lobbied for them.”)

King said that his son represents the home delivery pizza chain Papa John’s in Taiwan and has no role in lobbying for clients with Homeland Security business. The Mejias campaign dug up one of the strangest, Casio-scored pieces of video footage I’ve seen in an effort to assert that Sean King, who is apparently the speaker in the film clip, does in fact represent companies like Lockheed Martin. But according to the clip, he only mentions them as one of the firm’s publicly disclosed clients.

“This is a very desperate act by a very desperate politician,” said King. “It is as low as anything I’ve seen.”

Dave Mejias, King’s opponent, phoned in to respond.

“What is low is the cultural of corruption in Washington, how family members are able to sell their influence to clients that get access to government and contracts,” he said. “Peter is trying to name call to divert attention from the facts. His son is a lobbyist who is peddling his father’s influence.”